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Williert Stokeswood
Williert Stokeswood is a former wizard of the Kirin Tor and the current head of House Stokeswood. He rules over his lands in the Lordaeron province of Everbright, atop his castle, Silverstone Keep. Early life He was born the third son of Lord Anthony Stokeswood and Lady Andressa Stokeswood. As such, at a young age, the boy knew Silverstone would never belong to him. However, this knowledge never bothered him, as he was not a particularly ambitious man. Moreover, the then child already could recognize that he had not the patience to deal with bureaucratic and social matters as often as a Lord ought to. Therefore, the noble child sought other venues of entertaining and, in a way, power. His passion for knowledge was only rivaled by a nascent affinity with the Arcane. When he was around eight years old, some of his father's advisors noticed the kid's potential for wizardry. They counseled Lord Anthony to send him to Dalaran, where he would receive the best education available. This was guaranteed for two reasons: Williert was seen as a very promising prospect by the Kirin Tor and his family name would ensure that, at least initially, some arch mage would take him under his wing. The reasons appointed by the counselors were pretty clear. Silverstone Keep needed to extend its influence a bit more. Lord Anthony had dreams of increasing his power; and perhaps even land, through political means. The patriarch knew his House was never well regarded by the Menethil family, but he intended to change that.That said, having a family member as an Archmage of the Kirin Tor would go a long way to have some leeway inside Dalaran and in the future, within the Capital itself. Another point raised by Silverstone's council was that, later on, Williert could serve as a wise advisor to his elder brother and firstborn of the household, Alexander. Also, since their hopes were very high on him, the boy could even fight in defense of House Stokeswood. In this regard, it was well known how a wizard was able to turn the tide of battles at every turn. Having one around increased morale and power of a military host, they said. Thus, Williert was sent to Dalaran, though he would always visit the House seat every two months, to ensure he knew where his loyalty and place resided. The Violet Citadel, the Second War and a father's request In the mage city, the now apprentice vied to have his masters' approval. he applied himself to the studies, his days composed of scroll and book reading. That was never a forced or boring thing for him, for he thirsted for gaining in knowledge. One could say that Williert found in the Arcane what he was looking for: power to change the world around him. Eventually, war came to the northern lands. The Orcish Horde made the first move of what would be known as the Second War. At the time, Williert was sixteen years old, already a promising candidate for becoming a fully fledged mage and honored member of the Kirin Tor. Since he was still a youngster, his participation in the war was limited awt first. At first, he, alongside with many other wizards, were in charge of researching means to defeat the Horde warlocks. These spellcasters rained destruction on the battlefield, and the Alliance, including Dalaran, was not prepared for this. However, as the scenario started to grow direr for humanity, he was called to defend the Alliance, both as a citizen of the Kirin Tor and a subject to King Terenas II. Williert was put in a regiment that did not see much battle, not serving directly in the frontlines. That said, he still managed to face orcs across the battlefield, as the group met many small raiding parties. Simultaneously, his father and brother rode in battle with the full might of the Alliance, participating in the whole campaign, including the Battle of the Blackrock Spire. They were recognized as war heroes. In the aftermath of the Second War, Williert advocated, like many others, to put all orcs to the sword. He considered them too dangerous to remain as captives only. Nonetheless, the Crown decided to place them in the internment camps, causing frustration. As time passed, he grew to be a respect mage in his own right. His dream of becoming an Archmage were a reality, as many inside the Council of Six deemed him worthy of such position. To Williert, it was only a matter of time, small time. During this period, his father grew strangely ill and passed away. His last words were: "trust and help your brother, he shall lead our family to glory once more." The fall of his homes The fall of Dalaran The Kirin Tor eventually had to face another threat: the Plague of Undeath. Williert agreed with Lord Antonidas that the Plague was magical in nature and that the areas affected should be put in quarantine. Dalaran immediately sent emissaries to King Terenas to warn him of the danger. The noble was one of these envoys. Nonetheless, the monarch would have none of it, claiming that the "citizens of Lordaeron have suffered enough without becoming prisoners in their own lands". Right after the fall of Capital City due to Prince Arthas' betrayal, Dalaran started to prepare itself for a siege. For days, the wizards of Kirin Tor practiced for battle, developing ways to stop the Scourge. After some days, Prince Arthas, now a champion of the Scourge, lay siege to the city-state. Williert fought with all his heart and expertise, but he was not able to stop the corrupted prince's onslaught. When Antonidas fell in battle, the defenders got in disarray. The wizards were able to assemble a last effort's host to stop the Lich Kel'Thuzad from summoning Archimonde into the world. Unfortunately, they were repelled by the Scourge forces, the chaos spreading through the Kirin Tor's ranks. The survivors, including Williert, were scattered in the battlefield, lost, without direction. It was then that Archimonde emerged into Azeroth. His first act being the destruction of Dalaran. Williert Stokeswood saw his dream crumble his eyes. The razing of Silverstone Following that, he mustered the remaining strength he had and teleported to Silverstone Keep. The mage knew it was still not under attack, but soon would face undead attacks. His first order of business was counseling his brother, now Lord of Silverstone, in all matters regarding the undead, participating directly in the preparation of the Keep's defenses. The undead legions arrived in Silverstone Keep within the fortnight of Dalaran's fall. By then, Williert was physically recovered from his defeat at the outskirts of the city-state. Not even during the Second War the House's host was so grand as this time. They joined forces with the other noble families of the region, particularly House Clatter, the dominant power in Everbright. Together, they repelled the first wave of undead, though with heavy losses.They knew that the next to be sent would potentially be the end of them, but none of the nobles were willing to give up on their land. A week later, the Scourge returned, with twice the numbers. The undead commander skillfully outwitted Alexander, commander of the host, and forced a split. A bloodbath followed that, forcing a call to retreat to Silverstone. Once they arrived in the Keep, they were no more than fifty men strong. Lord Alexander knew doom was imminent, but he held the castle very dearly and would not abandon it. Williert supported his decision even though it was not the wisest because he was still affected by Dalaran's fall. Despite this, the Scourge assaulted the gates of the Keep with impunity, razing it to the ground and leaving it in ashes. Alexander defied the undead legions and led the final stand. Simultaneously, he told Williert to depart with his son, Darion, who was being groomed to become a paladin and all the civilians. At this request, the mage vehemently denied. Following the denial, Lord Alexander said bluntly: "As your Lord, I command you to do this, Williert. Perhaps there will be a day when darkness will recede and Silverstone will rise anew. Now, follow your duty and guarantee our House's future." At this order, the wizard used his magic to force Darion into submission and, along with the bulk of civilians, fled south, to the only place the Scourge had not arrived yet: Hillsbrad. Lord of Silverstone The period that followed was a very hard one. Darion blamed his uncle, as he wished to sacrifice himself for Silverstone. Williert, despite not being the heir, was effectively in charge of looking over the House's subjects, given that Darion was still very inexperienced. It took three years, but through a series of political of political machnications and even a new found charisma, Williert was able to assemble survivors of Lordaeron that lived in the Eastern Kingdoms. With promises of a new future and safety, he managed to form a decent sized troop. Along with his civilians, still under his wing, the former wizard was confident that Silverstone Keep would soon belong to House Stokeswood again. Williert seized control of the host, since he was more experienced in command. Darion was now an ordained Paladin, but he had never taken the role of leader. However, to appease his nephew's need to prove himself, he gave the boy command of the rearguard. Once they arrived in Silverstone, there was still a small Scourge contingent there, being led by a death knight called only by the alias of Greydespair. They sieged the ancestral Stokeswood's seat. As victory looked certain and the Keep seemed ripe for the taking, Darion, brimming with pride and anxiety, charged through the most inner part of the Keep before all others. Williert ordered him to halt, but the Paladin ignored his uncle and rushed. When he entered the halls, Greydespair was prepared and with a precise blow, cut Darion's head. At the sight of his nephew's death, Williert's heart sank for a moment. Nonetheless, moments later the adrenaline of battle reminded him of his task: to save his family's future. Whatever remained of it. Tha mage ordered a full charge into the great halls and his forces were more than sufficient to defeat Greydespair and his undead fiends. Aftermath Silverstone was reclaimed, though at a high cost. With the death of Darion Stokeswood, Williert became the head of his House, since his elder sister, Josephine Stokeswood, had no right to rule according to the customary laws, nor a desire to do so. The conquest of Everbright More at Stokeswood Reconquest With the great number of subjects he had assembled, Williert was able to once again operate the nearby iron mines and grow the farms. This allowed for commerce with Ironforge, Southshore and other Lordaeron provinces that had not fallen or had been retaken. At the same time, the income gained by these exchanges provided House Stokeswood the opportunity to not only recruit and train more soldiers, but also rebuild the ruined fortifications of Everbright. Soon, the majority of Everbright fell to the protection of House Stokeswood, as the Clatters, former dominant power in the region, were considered to be dead. The conquest of Everbright happened mainly during the conflict in the Cold North, with both the Forsaken and Scourge focused in the Northrend. This allowed Lord Stokeswood's forces to sweep through lands unchallenged and, in few time, the province answered to Silverstone. In service of the Queen ((Still in progress)) Category:Characters Category:Lordaeronian Category:House of Stokeswood